Nevada County picayune., 1887-08-25

ges per day, Sl,11; average wages per year of 300 days, S513,O9; cost of uniform portions, food, cloth and fuel, .33,24.1OO; purchasing power in number ofportiOns, l5i3. JSS5-6: Average wages per day, Sl so; average wages per year of 300 days, S5i0.00; cost of uniform portions, food. cloth and fuel, 30c OF less; purchasing power in num- Der of portions, 1900.
 We gleau these facts and figures from au article published by Mr. Edward At>in-on of Boston, in lS3j The lab"ring people of the ruantry are l'yipg cheaper lu day thaa ever before. Their Wa ges were less iu 1865, than they were 1885. while the purchasing power of n dollar, in 1885 is more than double that of lS6o. They can go as well dressed, live as high and enjoy as many social, religious or literary privileges now, as they enjoyed i'll lS6j.6 twhen we had the greatest amount of money m circulation) and save at least two ffihs of their daily or weekly earn ings.
 Notwithstanding this splendid showing, Mir. Harper and his fol- lowers, nave the audacity to stand up before an intelligent, thought ful people and tell them that the Iaborers of the country are being robbed of d great share of thelr just earnings. Shame on such a islander of truth and history. In his three hours harange at Pres colt. he never produced single statictical record to show or CO., roborate the truth of his charge, ] but on the contrary. when the Hon. ] T. c. McRae, produced statistics in refutatiou of suine of Mr. Har- per's cock and bull stories, which i he made in lis forenoon's speech, {, he was as silent as an oyster, on ] that subject, in his last speech, and vet he had the last tag, but he was general enough to go around strong point, and attack the weak places, or essay to read some old political speech, in his clownisl way. To thoughtful men this does not answer argu- ment or refute statistical facts.
 We don't blame him much for this for perhaps under the circumstan- ceS It was the best that he could do. but 1t does seem to us that he presumes too much on the igno. rance of the people. We hope the people will put but little conf, dence in such an old wicked DO. litieal prevaricator. He was cer. tainly was born under an unfortu- nate star. He seems only to taste the bitter in the cup oflife; to look only at the clOuds which hover in one quarter of the heavens while the sun is shining cheerily in an- other; who persists in pricking and scratching himself with the thorns and refuse to enjoy the fragrance of the rose; he < an ingrate to God and torment to himself, and he insists on the whole human tamily feeling as miserable as he seems to 1 be. With our great advancement in civilization, comes correspond ing frauds and humbugs of ali slz- es. shapes and orders. In order that they may succeed best, they always procure workers or strl- kers among those on whom the i fraud or deception is to be prac. ticed. To make this illustration clear, and more iorclble, we will take the case of the late cloth ped. dler, who we learn had his head quarters in Prescott, and where he also procured his man, to aid him in his Swiudle, Qor 1t can be called nothing else.) All things arranged, 1, they sally forth to sell packages of goods to the unskilled, and unin- formed in that line, for Sl50,OO dollars per package, which the Prescott man Gas an eXperU declar. ed to J ! Mays, AG Stewart, and other victims of the trick, to be worth from S250,00 to SJ00,O0 dol lars, dust what the sharper hired him to do.) MeSrs Mays, Stewart, and others contided in what the Prescott man said about the goods, their ChcapueSS, value etc., and so they walked into the trap to the tune of $1j0,00 dollars aach, for about fifty or sixty dollars worth of good. When the trick had been well played and played upon as ma ny as it was safe to play it upon and the farmers began to come to themselves, and get their eyes open -yes-yes-w why, the fellow was gone. Now there is heard through cut the land, weeping, waIling and great lamentations on account ot the tricks played by the wise man of the East, aided by the trick man, procured at home. James, Aquil. Ia, Robert and others will not be comforted, for they cannot. But the wise man of the East, will come here no more. Mir Harper comes not as a vender of cheap goods, but of a cheaper and more worth less article. He comes presenting old and stale stories. and eXplo. ded ideas, that have passed into the history of the country, twenty or twenty five years ago. He, will not nrohablv raalivp IS much nrofit